1. Update on Status of LIGO
January 2006
Nergis Mavalvala On behalf of the LIGO Laboratory and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration
With generous support from the National Science Foundation

2. An exciting time in gravitational wave detection
The initial LIGO detectors have reached their target sensitivity
Incredibly small motion of mirrors  m (less than 1/1000 the size of a proton)
LIGO has begun its biggest and most sensitive science data run
Unprecedented sensitivity  prospects for new science are very promising
On Science magazine’s list of things to watch out for in 2006
Design of an even more sensitive next generation instrument is progressing rapidly

3. Science Run 5 (S5) begins Schedule
Started in November, 2005
Get 1 year of data at design sensitivity
Small enhancements over next 3 years
Sensitivity (in terms of inspiral distance)
H1 10 to 12 Mpc (33 to 39 million light years)
H2 5 Mpc (16 million light years)
L1 8 to 10 Mpc (26 to 33 million light years)
Sample duty cycle (12/13/05 to 12/26/05)
68% (L1), 83% (H1), 88% (H2) individual
58% triple coincidence
1 light year = 9.5e12 km
1 pc = 30.8e12 km
1 Mpc = 3.26e6 l.y.

4. Reaching LIGO’s Science Goals
Interferometer commissioning
Intersperse commissioning and data taking consistent with obtaining one year of integrated data at h = by end of 2006
Science runs and astrophysical searches
Science data collection and intense data mining interleaved with commissioning
S1 Aug 2002 – Sep duration: 2 weeks
S2 Feb 2003 – Apr duration: 8 weeks
S3 Oct 2003 – Jan duration: 10 weeks
S4 Feb 2005 – Mar duration: 4 weeks
S5 Nov 2005 – duration: 1 yr integrated
Advanced LIGO

5. H1 strain sensitivity – S1 to S5
1st Science Run
Sept 02
(17 days) S2
2nd Science Run
Feb – Apr 03
(59 days) S3
3rd Science Run
Nov 03 – Jan 04
(70 days)
Strain (sqrt[Hz]-1)
LIGO Target Sensitivity S5
5th Science Run
Nov 05 onward
(1 year integrated) S4
4th Science Run
Feb – Mar 05
(30 days)
Frequency (Hz)

6. New rate predictions from SHBs?
4 Short Hard gamma ray Bursts since May 2005
Detected by Swift and HETE-2, with rapid follow-up using BATSE, Hubble, Chandra
Find that SHB progenitors are too old (>5 Gyr) to be supernova explosions (cause of long GRBs)
Remaining candidates for progenitors of SHBs: old double neutron star (DNS) or neutron star-black hole (NS-BH) coalescences
Predicted rates for Initial LIGO (S5) could be as high as
But great uncertainty in rate estimates
Nakar, Gal-Yam, Fox, astro-ph/

7. Global network of detectors
GEO
VIRGO
LIGO
TAMA
AIGO
LIGO
Detection confidence
Source polarization
Sky location
LISA

8. Advanced LIGO

9. Why a better detector? Astrophysics
Factor 10 better amplitude sensitivity
(Reach)3 = rate
Factor 4 lower frequency bound
Hope for NSF funding in FY08
Infrastructure of initial LIGO but replace many detector components with new designs
Hope to be observing 1000x more galaxies by 2013

10. Astrophysical searches from early science data runs completed
In closing...
Astrophysical searches from early science data runs completed
The most sensitive search yet (S5) begun with plan to get 1 year of data at initial LIGO sensitivity
Advanced LIGO approved by the NSB
Construction funding expected (hoped?) to begin in FY2008
Joint searches with partner observatories in Europe and Japan

11. Ultimate success… New Instruments, New Field, the Unexpected…